The arrival of Esselunga in Liguria was a “preeminent political objective” for Toti. This is what the president of the Liguria Region, under house arrest as part of the maxi investigation into corruption, said in Thursday’s interrogation.
Under the scrutiny of prosecutors, Toti’s interest in the opening of two supermarkets in Liguria. According to the accusation, the company paid electoral advertising to the Toti List for the 2022 municipal elections in exchange for the unblocking of the procedures for the opening of two sales points in Sestri Ponente and Savona.
Toti: “Our desire to encourage the entry of new entities into the world of distribution”
Toti, as reported in the minutes of Thursday’s interrogation, explained that “the arrival of Esselunga in Liguria was a pre-eminent political objective for us. The question of the Sestri Ponente case began when Doria was still mayor. I followed it carefully because I thought it was symbolic and important.” In particular, the Sestri practice “had run aground. There was a problem linked to soil protection”.
The prosecutors asked Toti for explanations on an interception from which it seems that he and the director of the Lombardy large-scale retail giant, Francesco Moncada, had agreed on something. A way, according to the president, “to confirm our desire to encourage the entry of new entities into the world of distribution and therefore of Esselunga in the Region. Moncada had told me that they were interested in also extending to Savona and therefore the agreement was to encourage their entry into that city too”.
It should be specified that Moncada, following the maxi investigation, cannot carry out professional and entrepreneurial activities for the next 12 months. Just a few days ago, his lawyer’s request to eliminate the precautionary measure of the ban was denied. Also involved in the Esselunga case but also in other branches of the investigation is Toti’s head of cabinet, Matteo Cozzani, who is under house arrest.
Advertising on the Primocanale giant screen
The agreement, however, according to the prosecution, provided in exchange for an election advertisement financed by Esselunga on the Primocanale giant screen. “I also knew of Moncada’s desire, with whom we had spoken extensively about this previously, that is, that he wanted to advertise for Mayor Bucci – is Toti’s version in the interrogation report -. Therefore, when he told me ‘we arranged ‘I thought he was referring both to the agreement regarding Esselunga’s advertising with Primocanale and to the advertising for Mayor Bucci.”
